Lurker (Turok)
Image Lurkers are large, quadrupedal, carnivorous reptiles that made their first appearance in Propaganda Games' 2008 title, Turok. They are first encountered in "Reunions," towards the end of the level. They often climb trees and wait for prey to pass by, then pounce. They are also encountered in several other levels, including "Ghost in the Shadow," "Mother Superior," and "Heroes End." Appearance Lurkers make their first appearance in "Reunions." In appearance, they appear to be a hybrid of large jungle cats, like panthers, and prehistoric reptiles, like Postosuchus. They are dog-sized and are fully quadrupedal as they are never seen standing on their hind limbs. They are colored black, brown, or even a deep hue of blue. Their eyes also bear a resemblance to that of a dog's with their reflective and bright nature, being a yellowish green. They are large and appear to be on the same plane of scale as Joseph Turok is. Their legs are muscular so as to propel them towards their prey, as shown during gameplay, and they have a long tail for balance, be it while running or in a tree. Gameplay Upon encountering these animals for the first time, the player is immediately charged by one which shows that they are very fast. Their speed is shown to be even faster then the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex or Giganotosaurus, so trying to run will usually result in the player being knocked down multiple times until either the attacking Lurker is defeated or the player is killed. These creatures also like to hunt in packs, so when an infested area is encountered, the player should advance slowly as to not disturb the multitudes of others in the area. They cannot be distracted by flares which shows above-average intelligence on their part, and they are also very susceptible to knife kills, compared to a Utahraptor. Unlike other creatures, the Lurkers can use trees to their advantage by climbing and sitting near the tops of them, waiting to strike. This can also be their weakness as they will remain stationary while sitting in the tree leaving their heads open to a Tek Arrow or sniper round. The player can detect these creatures early by listening for the slight purr or growl that the creature makes. Trivia * While it is never stated in-game, it can be reasonably assumed that the Lurkers may be a result of Mendel-Gruman Corporation experiments with dinosaur genetics. * Lurkers bear a resemblance to Postosuchus,1 a quadrupedal reptile that was related to both dinosaurs and crocodiles, though Lurkers have feline-like traits which may have been inspired by jungle cats such as panthers. ** More recent discoveries also show that the Lurker bears a strong resemblance to the prehistoric crocodile Pristichampus, which had a slightly cat- or dog-like build and could also probably stand on its hind legs for some time. No evidence shows that they were able to climb trees, however. ** Lurkers bear a resemblance to Therapsids, a family of mammal ancestors with both reptilian and mammalian features. Category:Turok Monsters Category:Monsters Category:Dinosaur Kaiju Category:Villains Category:Kaiju